Opinion + Singapore | The Guardianhttps://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/commentisfree+world/singapore
model.DotcomContentType$TagIndex$@3cc59b54en-gbGuardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. 2018Thu, 22 Feb 2018 05:27:28 GMT2018-02-22T05:27:28Zen-gbGuardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. 2018The Guardianhttps://assets.guim.co.uk/images/guardian-logo-rss.c45beb1bafa34b347ac333af2e6fe23f.pnghttps://www.theguardian.com
Can colonialism have benefits? Look at Singapore | Jeevan Vasagarhttps://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/jan/04/colonialism-work-singapore-postcolonial-british-empire
<p>The country’s postcolonial rulers seized the advantages left them by the British empire and used them, for the most part, for the benefit of wider society</p><p>Bombay is Mumbai, Léopoldville is Kinshasa, Cecil Rhodes has been hoisted from his plinth by a crane; but when I moved to Singapore a few years ago it quickly became clear that much of its colonial legacy had been left intact.</p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/jan/03/history-empire-pride-guilt-truth-oxford-nigel-biggar">The history of empire isn’t about pride. It’s about truth | James McDougall</a> </p><p>Singapore’s progress leaves a deep impression on visitors from other former colonies</p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/dec/27/archive-files-britain-colonial-past-government">Why do archive files on Britain’s colonial past keep going missing? | Siobhan Fenton</a> </p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/jan/04/colonialism-work-singapore-postcolonial-british-empire">Continue reading...</a>ColonialismSingaporeBritish empireWorld newsAsia PacificThu, 04 Jan 2018 10:20:40 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/jan/04/colonialism-work-singapore-postcolonial-british-empirePhotograph: AlamyPhotograph: AlamyJeevan Vasagar2018-01-04T10:20:40ZThe west can’t fix the climate crisis. Asia will have to do it | Chandran Nairhttps://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/dec/05/west-climate-crisis-asia-developing-nations
<p>The future is about resources, not technology. The planet really needs developing nations to get it right</p><p>The <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/commentisfree/2017/nov/17/the-guardian-view-on-climate-talks-brexits-heavy-weather" title="">climate change talks in Bonn</a> have now wrapped up with <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/nov/17/planet-at-a-crossroads-climate-summit-makes-progress-but-leaves-much-to-do" title="">little firm action</a>. Next year they <a href="http://www.climatechangenews.com/politics/" title="">move to Poland</a>. But whatever is discussed or agreed in European cities over the coming years, the answers to climate change will not come from the west (beyond a few technological tweaks), but Asia.</p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/nov/17/planet-at-a-crossroads-climate-summit-makes-progress-but-leaves-much-to-do">‘Planet at a crossroads’: climate summit makes progress but leaves much to do</a> </p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2010/sep/23/china-great-green-wall-climate">China's great green wall grows in climate fight</a> </p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/dec/05/west-climate-crisis-asia-developing-nations">Continue reading...</a>Climate changeSouth and Central AsiaEnvironmentChinaAsia PacificSingaporeIndiaWorld newsTue, 05 Dec 2017 06:00:08 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/dec/05/west-climate-crisis-asia-developing-nationsPhotograph: andrzej krauzePhotograph: andrzej krauzeChandran Nair2017-12-05T06:00:08ZSingapore-on-Thames? This is no vision for post-Brexit Britain | Jeevan Vasagarhttps://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/nov/24/singapore-on-thames-post-brexit-britain-wealthy-city-state
Emulating the wealthy city state comes with many pitfalls. For one, as Singaporeans know, going it alone means being more vulnerable<p>From the glittering office towers clustered by the waterfront, to the spotless malls crowded with perfectly coiffed shoppers, it’s hard not to feel transported into the future when you arrive in Singapore – a hi-tech, consumer-oriented kind of future of designer heels stepping into driverless cars.</p><p>From its humble beginnings as a mosquito-ridden tropical port, Singapore has transformed itself into one of the world’s richest countries. The south-east Asian city-state also has some of the <a href="https://www.pwc.com/sg/en/budget-2017/budget-2017-in-the-news/budget-2017-in-the-news-20170207.html" title="">world’s lowest taxes</a>; its corporate rate is 17%, with temporary rates as low as 5% for companies willing to set up a regional headquarters there.</p><p>Having autonomy is not the same thing as having power</p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/nov/23/jeremy-corbyn-brexit-tories-labour-eu">Corbyn has seen the light on Brexit. Now he’s taking the fight to the Tories | Polly Toynbee</a> </p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/nov/24/singapore-on-thames-post-brexit-britain-wealthy-city-state">Continue reading...</a>BrexitSingaporeAsia PacificWorld newsUK newsEuropean UnionForeign policyPoliticsEconomic policyFri, 24 Nov 2017 09:44:05 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/nov/24/singapore-on-thames-post-brexit-britain-wealthy-city-statePhotograph: Chinnaphong Mungsiri/Getty ImagesPhotograph: Chinnaphong Mungsiri/Getty ImagesJeevan Vasagar2017-11-24T09:44:05ZThe latest US navy collision should worry Trump’s Asian allies | Mary Dejevskyhttps://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/aug/23/us-navy-collision-should-worry-allies-trump-fatal
<p>The USS John S McCain’s fatal crash, the fourth US naval accident in a year, makes America look inconsistent and unreliable – much like the president himself</p><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/aug/23/us-navy-7th-fleet-commander-relieved-of-duty-uss-john-mccain-collision" title="">The dismissal</a> of Joseph Aucoin, commander of the US 7th Fleet, is more formal than practical as Aucoin was close to retirement anyway. But heads had to roll after a series of accidents, including two recent fatal collisions. Military responsibility is what it is; in the end the top man had to take the rap. More surprising than Aucoin’s dismissal, perhaps, is that he did not submit his resignation as a matter of honour first.</p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/aug/23/us-navy-7th-fleet-commander-relieved-of-duty-uss-john-mccain-collision">US navy to relieve 7th Fleet commander of duty after series of collisions</a> </p><p>So far, the official presumption appears to be that human error was the most likely cause</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/aug/23/us-navy-collision-should-worry-allies-trump-fatal">Continue reading...</a>US militarySingaporeUS foreign policySouth KoreaAsia PacificUS newsWed, 23 Aug 2017 10:48:10 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/aug/23/us-navy-collision-should-worry-allies-trump-fatalPhotograph: Steve Helber/APPhotograph: Steve Helber/APMary Dejevsky2017-08-23T10:48:10ZThe Guardian view on Asia-Pacific competition: risks and opportunities | Editorialhttps://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/oct/25/the-guardian-view-on-asia-pacific-competition-risks-and-opportunities
The Philippine president’s vow to separate from the US has highlighted Washington’s rivalry with Beijing<p>After four months as president of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte has become notorious for erratic and attention-grabbing statements. But his remarks on his country’s longstanding alliance with the United States make his other pronouncements appear a model of understatement and consistency. He announced that he was <a href="http://" title="">separating from the US</a> “in military [and] economics also” and talked of a possible new troika “against the world: China, Philippines and Russia”. On Monday, he <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-philippines-idUSKCN12K0AS" title="">reversed course</a>. Existing alliances were alive and there should be no concern about them changing; all he sought was trade and commerce with China, he said. By Tuesday, he was lashing out at Washington again. The US has said it <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/oct/24/us-philippines-president-rodrigo-duterte-separation-comments" title="">is seeking clarity</a> on his intentions; so, it seems, are his colleagues, and perhaps even Mr Duterte himself.</p><p>If his manner is sui generis, the strategic question he faces is not. Beneath the bluster appears to be an attempt to extract advantage from the rival ambitions of the US and China. Beijing’s growing economic and military power and increased confidence have produced a discernable shift in the region (helping to explain why Mr Duterte is downplaying his nation’s victory over China <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jul/12/philippines-wins-south-china-sea-case-against-china" title="">in a tribunal ruling</a> on their South China Sea dispute). The situation has been complicated both by what the US has done, and what it hasn’t. In 2011, Barack Obama announced a “pivot to Asia” and stressed that the US was a Pacific power, a message bolstered by plans to station marines in Australia. Beijing saw that as an <a href="http://aus.thechinastory.org/archive/australia-and-the-american-pivot-to-asia/" title="">attempt to contain it</a>, and efforts to gloss the message failed to undo the damage. But it alarmed China without achieving much: in reality, the Obama administration had little time to devote to the region. It has been too busy elsewhere. That seems unlikely to change significantly, even if a President Clinton proves more active and keener to make alliances count – especially given that she has renounced<a href="https://www.ft.com/content/91b726e2-540d-11e6-befd-2fc0c26b3c60" title=""> the pivot’s economic plank, the TPP trade deal</a> including multiple Pacific nations but not China.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/oct/25/the-guardian-view-on-asia-pacific-competition-risks-and-opportunities">Continue reading...</a>Asia PacificPhilippinesRodrigo DuterteChinaSingaporeSouth China SeaWorld newsUS foreign policyUS politicsUS newsUK newsAustralia newsHillary ClintonBarack ObamaObama administrationTue, 25 Oct 2016 18:40:48 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/oct/25/the-guardian-view-on-asia-pacific-competition-risks-and-opportunitiesPhotograph: Toshifumi Kitamura/AFP/Getty ImagesPhotograph: Toshifumi Kitamura/AFP/Getty ImagesEditorial2016-10-25T18:40:48ZDealing with death can lead to conflict – as Singapore’s first family shows | Mark Vernonhttps://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/apr/12/dealing-death-conflict-singapore-first-family-lee-kuan-yew
It’s no wonder that Lee Kuan Yew’s children are rowing about how to mark their father’s anniversary. Mourning takes time – and practice<p>One of the things that’s become clear about grieving, since Elizabeth Kübler-Ross wrote her classic book, <a href="https://bookshop.theguardian.com/on-death-and-dying.html" title="">On Death and Dying</a>, is that the so-called stages of mourning do not occur in set patterns. Individuals are very likely to experience anger and sadness, guilt and elation, but not one after the other. They can even feel these things almost at the same time.</p><p>Hence, the family feud in Singapore over the <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/apr/10/singapore-lee-hsien-loong-lee-wei-ling-family-feud-lee-kuan-yew" title="">mourning of Lee Kuan Yew</a>. That the siblings, prime minister Lee Hsien Loong and his sister Lee Wei Ling, are raging over the loss of their father is most likely an expression of these different, conflicting feelings.</p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/apr/10/singapore-lee-hsien-loong-lee-wei-ling-family-feud-lee-kuan-yew">Singaporean PM in feud with sister over anniversary of father's death</a> </p><p>But there’s something else that can be done. It’s to recognise that loss is not only what happens at the end of life</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/apr/12/dealing-death-conflict-singapore-first-family-lee-kuan-yew">Continue reading...</a>Death and dyingSingaporeAsia PacificWorld newsBereavementTue, 12 Apr 2016 14:25:03 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/apr/12/dealing-death-conflict-singapore-first-family-lee-kuan-yewPhotograph: Handout/Getty ImagesPhotograph: Handout/Getty ImagesMark Vernon2016-04-12T14:25:03ZYou can tell a lot about the west by the way it celebrates autocrats' deaths | Antony Loewensteinhttps://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/apr/23/you-can-tell-a-lot-about-the-west-by-the-way-it-celebrates-autocrats-deaths
<p>Does the west’s insistence on trading freedoms for stability actually achieve anything except platitudes at the funerals of dead strongmen?</p><p>Western-friendly dictators can die in peace, knowing they’ll be lauded as soon as they stop breathing. So it was for Singapore’s founding father Lee Kuan Yew, who recently passed away at the age of 91. Tributes poured in from across the globe. Barack Obama called him “<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2015/03/22/statement-president-death-lee-kuan-yew">visionary</a>” while Australian prime minister Tony Abbott mourned a “<a href="https://twitter.com/TonyAbbottMHR/status/582106687701569536">friend</a>”.</p><p>Neither man mentioned that Lee presided over an authoritarian state where dissent was barely tolerated, where even his commemoration was marked by the authorities <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/mar/22/singapore-lee-kuan-yew-dies-91">shutting</a> down events at Speaker’s Corner, the only place in the country where protest is permitted.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/apr/23/you-can-tell-a-lot-about-the-west-by-the-way-it-celebrates-autocrats-deaths">Continue reading...</a>Australia newsSingaporeSaudi ArabiaWorld newsThu, 23 Apr 2015 01:25:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/apr/23/you-can-tell-a-lot-about-the-west-by-the-way-it-celebrates-autocrats-deathsPhotograph: YONHAP/AAPIMAGEPhotograph: YONHAP/AAPIMAGEAntony Loewenstein2015-04-23T01:25:00ZThe Guardian view on Lee Kuan Yew: a new generation should build on his successes, not rest on them | Editorialhttps://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/mar/23/the-guardian-view-on-lee-kuan-yew-a-new-generation-should-build-on-his-successes-not-rest-on-them
<p>Young Singaporeans chafe at the paternalism that was the hallmark of the late prime minister. Liberalisation is the big challenge for the economic powerhouse he leaves behind</p><p>Singapore’s founding father <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/mar/22/singapore-lee-kuan-yew-dies-91">Lee Kuan Yew</a> is being mourned within his country and beyond its shores. In three decades as prime minister he oversaw the separation from Malaysia in 1965 and the transformation of Singapore into a business and financial powerhouse. When his son Lee Hsien Loong took on the top job and appointed him “minister mentor”, it acknowledged rather than bestowed his enduring influence.</p><p>Mr Lee’s wide-ranging connections and blunt advice – he astutely balanced the major powers – won him respect in both Beijing and Washington. In the region, Singapore sparked talk of <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/people/features/ihavearightto/four_b/casestudy_art30.shtml">“Asian values”</a>, with other leaders envying not just its wealth, stability, efficiency and cleanliness, but also its tight controls and its culture of obedience. Its success was welcomed as proof that a vibrant economy and sustained development could – or would only – thrive under authoritarian government. Mr Lee once warned that democracy’s exuberance “leads to undisciplined and disorderly conditions which are inimical to development”.</p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/mar/24/lee-kuan-yew-grip-on-singapore">Lee Kuan Yew’s grip on Singapore | Letters</a> </p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/mar/23/the-guardian-view-on-lee-kuan-yew-a-new-generation-should-build-on-his-successes-not-rest-on-them">Continue reading...</a>SingaporeAsia PacificWorld newsMon, 23 Mar 2015 11:29:34 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/mar/23/the-guardian-view-on-lee-kuan-yew-a-new-generation-should-build-on-his-successes-not-rest-on-themPhotograph: Xinhua /Landov / Barcroft MediaPhotograph: Xinhua /Landov / Barcroft MediaEditorial2015-03-23T11:29:34ZThe Guardian view on the freedom of the internet: it’s under attack around the world | Editorialhttps://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/dec/11/guardian-view-freedom-internet-under-attack-around-world
The net is a powerful weapon, and governments don’t want it in the hands of their critics<p>The internet is not a culture in itself. It has no values and works indifferently either for or against freedom and democracy. But however it is employed, it works powerfully. So it has become an arena in which struggles over power and ideas are fought out all across the world. This is not just a matter of competing messages. Governments want to control what is said and what is heard and where they can’t control it, then at any rate to listen in and take advantage of what they learn there.</p><p>When the power of the internet first became apparent, the obvious resort of government was simply to ban or block access to sources of information that political leadership found displeasing. But, as <a href="https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-net/freedom-net-2014#.VIncqWR-DGI" title="">a recently released report</a> from the Washington-based thinktank Freedom House&nbsp;points out, there is now a growing tendency to use more sophisticated methods. A <a href="http://www.sciencemag.org/content/345/6199/1251722.abstract" title="">recent study in Science magazine</a> showed how the Chinese censorship regime lets through any amount of criticism of the party or its officials but clamps down hard on&nbsp;anything that might inspire political action. And here in Britain, a woman has just been <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-30439913" title="">jailed for five years</a> for inciting terrorism in Syria on&nbsp;Facebook.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/dec/11/guardian-view-freedom-internet-under-attack-around-world">Continue reading...</a>InternetTechnologySurveillanceWorld newsNSAUS newsRussiaEuropeSyriaMiddle East and North AfricaTurkeySingaporeAsia PacificBangladeshKazakhstanBahrainUkraineTwitterMediaBloggingFacebookSocial networkingEdward SnowdenThu, 11 Dec 2014 20:00:29 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/dec/11/guardian-view-freedom-internet-under-attack-around-worldPhotograph: Dominic Lipinski/PAA Twitter user. "The revelations of NSA activity have served 'as an excuse' for some governments to 'augment their own monitoring capabilities'." Photograph: Dominic Lipinski/PAPhotograph: Dominic Lipinski/PAA Twitter user. "The revelations of NSA activity have served 'as an excuse' for some governments to 'augment their own monitoring capabilities'." Photograph: Dominic Lipinski/PAEditorial2014-12-11T20:00:29ZTo fight Britain’s privatisation dogma, Labour needs help from the US military | Ha-Joon Changhttps://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jul/31/privatisation-dogma-labour-us-military-singapore
State-owned enterprises can be successful, as some unlikely global examples prove<p>Since Margaret Thatcher came to power in 1979 the UK has led the world in privatisation. The Conservative government <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/mar/29/short-history-of-privatisation" title="">sold off state-owned enterprises</a> throughout the 1980s and the 1990s – electricity, oil, gas, rail, airline, airports, telecommunications, water, steel, coal, you name it. In the worldwide fever for selling off state assets that gripped those decades, the rest of the world <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/business/2000/nov/22/thatcher.politics1" title="">looked up to Britain</a> as the guiding example.</p><p>Privatisation was halted under Labour. However, the belief in the superiority of the private sector was such that, when it brought the <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2002/jul/01/transport.publicservices" title="">rail infrastructure back under state control in 2002</a> following a series of rail disasters, Labour made sure it did not take the form of re-nationalisation – at least in legal terms. Network Rail, the owner and operator of the rail infrastructure, was set up as a private company, although on a not-for-profit basis and without shareholders.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jul/31/privatisation-dogma-labour-us-military-singapore">Continue reading...</a>PrivatisationBusinessEconomic policyUK newsPoliticsLabourUS newsSingaporeWorld newsThu, 31 Jul 2014 17:23:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jul/31/privatisation-dogma-labour-us-military-singaporePhotograph: Snap/Rex FeaturesA Honeywell computer under the control of Michael Caine In the 1967 film Billion Dollar Brain. It was used to connect to the Arpanet – developed by the US military as a precursor of the internet.. Photograph: Snap/Rex FeaturesPhotograph: Snap/Rex FeaturesA Honeywell computer under the control of Michael Caine In the 1967 film Billion Dollar Brain. It was used to connect to the Arpanet – developed by the US military as a precursor of the internet.. Photograph: Snap/Rex FeaturesHa-Joon Chang2014-07-31T17:23:00ZThe US could use an unofficial second (and third and fourth) language | Jeremy Tianghttps://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/mar/08/us-english-second-language-singapore
<p>In Singapore, you’re forced to learn a non-native tongue. And that’s a very good thing for stirring up the melting pot</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/mar/08/us-english-second-language-singapore">Continue reading...</a>SingaporeLanguagesUS educationEducation policySat, 08 Mar 2014 11:30:02 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/mar/08/us-english-second-language-singaporePhotograph: AlamyBK5ADR Skyline and Financial district at dawn, Singapore, Southeast Asia, Asia
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space Photograph: AlamyJeremy Tiang2014-03-08T11:30:02ZCrazy Rich Asians presents a whole new wave of stereotypes | Patricia Parkhttps://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/sep/03/crazy-rich-asians-racial-stereotypes
One of the hottest summer reads presents the worst of Asian culture, but it's also refreshing to read about more than kung fu<br /><br />• <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/books/poll/2013/aug/30/summer-reads-best-book-summer-vote">Vote for your favourite summer read</a><p>When I was growing up, there were only a handful of stock media representations of Asians, my ethnic group. The <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JaD_fvehAaU">Pearl Cream commercial lady</a>. Mr Miyagi from The Karate Kid offering up laconic "Confucius say" platitudes, which read like slips from fortune cookies. Bruce Lee – who admittedly had schoolyard cache – until he was bested by <a href="www.imdb.com/character/ch0013817/">Long Duk Dong</a>, the Fresh Off the Boater from Sixteen Candles whose one-liners – such as "What's happenin', hot stuff?" – have proved more lasting than most Americans' pension plans. </p><p>Needless to say: it was slim pickings for Mongoloids everywhere.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/sep/03/crazy-rich-asians-racial-stereotypes">Continue reading...</a>Race issuesBooksMediaUS newsWorld newsChinaSingaporeTue, 03 Sep 2013 13:00:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/sep/03/crazy-rich-asians-racial-stereotypesPhotograph: Public domainKevin Kwan’s novel Crazy Rich Asians presents a whole new wave of stereotypes much like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (pictured on right) did back in the day.Photograph: Public domainKevin Kwan’s novel Crazy Rich Asians presents a whole new wave of stereotypes much like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (pictured on right) did back in the day.Patricia Park2013-09-03T13:00:00ZSeven years after Van Nguyen's execution, death penalty still revolts me | Brigid Delaneyhttps://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/aug/01/death-penalty-van-ngyuen
No human or state hand should play any part in deciding when and how someone should die. The repercussions of Ngyuen's case are still felt long after his execution<p>Was it really seven years ago that they hanged <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Van_Tuong_Nguyen">Van Nguyen</a> in Singapore?</p><p>I remember the bells ringing out in his home parish of St Ignatius, Richmond, 25 times – one for each year of his life – and people wearing yellow ribbons gathered, some crying in the pews, and the news crews outside Changi prison late at night and into the dawn. It was reported that he accepted his death with dignity and grace. Arguments about the death penalty&nbsp;raged.&nbsp;</p><p>Judicial execution can never cancel or remove the atrocity it seeks to punish; it can only add a second atrocity to the original one … So long as one sees killing as wrong there is no need to waste time with the deterrent argument, since it would be nonsense to try to prevent a theoretical evil in the future by perpetrating an actual one in the present</p><p>It is curious, but till that moment I had never realised what it means to destroy a healthy, conscious man. When I saw the prisoner step aside to avoid the puddle I saw the mystery, the unspeakable wrongness, of cutting a life short when it is in full tide. This man was not dying, he was alive just as we are alive.</p><p>Anyone involved with their case could never forget it and in July 1986 the afternoon Melbourne Herald newspaper tried to ram home just how final death at the end of a rope for drug trafficking could be.&nbsp;I can still see the banner headline: IT'S DONE, above a photograph of the bodies of the two young men covered by a sheet. One corpse had an identity tag hanging from the dead man's big toe.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/aug/01/death-penalty-van-ngyuen">Continue reading...</a>Australia newsAustralian politicsDrugsDrugs tradeDrugs policySingaporeCapital punishmentWed, 31 Jul 2013 23:19:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/aug/01/death-penalty-van-ngyuenPhotograph: Mick Tsikas/AAPA gong is rung 25 times as mourners gather at Martin Place in Sydney for a silent vigil for the execution of Nguyen Tuong Van in Singapore. Photograph: /Mick Tsikas/AAPPhotograph: Mick Tsikas/AAPA gong is rung 25 times as mourners gather at Martin Place in Sydney for a silent vigil for the execution of Nguyen Tuong Van in Singapore. Photograph: /Mick Tsikas/AAPBrigid Delaney2013-07-31T23:19:00ZLessons on education from Singapore | Michael Barberhttps://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/aug/22/lessons-education-singapore-gove
Michael Gove is rightly impressed with Pacific Asia's education system. But he should remember they're learning from us too<p>The teenagers anxiously opening their GCSE results on Thursday will be wondering whether they might be among the last to do so. <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/education/2012/jun/21/michael-gove-gcses-teaching-union?newsfeed=true" title="">The future of GCSEs is in doubt</a>, as we wait to see how the government moves forward with exam reform and who prevails in the coalition struggle over education policy.</p><p>We know that the education secretary, <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/politics/michaelgove" title="">Michael Gove</a>, is impressed by Singapore's education system, and there is indeed much to admire. In Singapore, 15-year-olds are 10 months ahead of those in the UK in English. They are 20 months ahead in maths. South Korea, Japan, Hong Kong and Shanghai match Singapore's performance. So we most definitely have something to learn from Pacific Asia. The question is what?</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/aug/22/lessons-education-singapore-gove">Continue reading...</a>EducationSchoolsUK newsWorld newsAsia PacificMichael GovePoliticsSingaporeWed, 22 Aug 2012 18:00:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/aug/22/lessons-education-singapore-govePhotograph: Caroline Chia/Singapore Press HoldingsA primary school teacher in Singapore gets her pupils to line up on the first day of the school term. Photograph: Caroline Chia/Singapore Press HoldingsPhotograph: Caroline Chia/Singapore Press HoldingsA primary school teacher in Singapore gets her pupils to line up on the first day of the school term. Photograph: Caroline Chia/Singapore Press HoldingsMichael Barber2012-08-22T18:00:00ZEduardo Saverin's tax-free global citizenship | Dan Gillmorhttps://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/cifamerica/2012/may/17/eduardo-saverin-tax-free-global-citizenship
Must we tolerate this new global elite of the super-rich and mega-corporations dodging tax obligations in any one country?<p><a href="http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57435892-93/facebooks-saverin-im-a-global-citizen-not-a-tax-dodger/">Eduardo Saverin imagines himself a "citizen of the world"</a>. His is an unofficial description, but one that an elite class of super-rich people and multinational companies increasingly take for granted.</p><p>Saverin's name stood out when the US government published its latest list of Americans who had renounced their citizenship. He is the co-founder of Facebook, owner of about 4% of the company; and with this week's public offering of shares, he is about to move from rich to super-rich.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/cifamerica/2012/may/17/eduardo-saverin-tax-free-global-citizenship">Continue reading...</a>FacebookInequalityUS taxationUS newsSingaporeGlobal economyAppleBusinessWorld newsThu, 17 May 2012 20:13:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/cifamerica/2012/may/17/eduardo-saverin-tax-free-global-citizenshipPhotograph: Gilbert Carrasquillo/FilmMagicEduardo Saverin's story is quintessentially American, but he isn't anymore. Photograph: Gilbert Carrasquillo/FilmMagicPhotograph: Gilbert Carrasquillo/FilmMagicEduardo Saverin's story is quintessentially American, but he isn't anymore. Photograph: Gilbert Carrasquillo/FilmMagicDan Gillmor2012-05-17T20:13:00ZChina syndrome dictates Barack Obama's Asia-Pacific strategy | Simon Tisdallhttps://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/jan/06/china-barack-obama-defence-strategy
Obama has no wish to conjure the spectre of a new cold war but is determined to beat back any Chinese bid for hegemony<p>Barack Obama made a special trip to the Pentagon this week to unveil America's post-Iraq, post-Afghanistan defence strategy. But amid all the president's talk about a leaner American military, evolving challenges of the new century, and shifting priorities after a decade of warfare, one particular word was nowhere to be heard: China.</p><p>The omission is understandable, but misleading. As a politician running for re-election as a peacemaker, Obama has no wish to conjure the spectre of a new cold war with the only serious challenger to America as number one global superpower.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/jan/06/china-barack-obama-defence-strategy">Continue reading...</a>ChinaBarack ObamaWorld newsUS foreign policyUS newsUS militaryUS politicsAsia PacificAfghanistanIraqMiddle East and North AfricaNorth KoreaIndiaJapanEurozone crisisAfricaWilliam HagueTaiwanVietnamGeorge BushAung San Suu KyiSouth KoreaSingaporeMalaysiaAustralia newsPakistanSri LankaTanzaniaSyriaIranSudanMyanmarFri, 06 Jan 2012 18:54:35 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/jan/06/china-barack-obama-defence-strategyPhotograph: Greg E. Mathieson, Sr/Rex FeaturesPresident Barack Obama and General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff (right) outline the US defence strategy at the Pentagon - without mentioning China Photograph: Greg E. Mathieson, Sr/Rex FeaturesPhotograph: Greg E. Mathieson, Sr/Rex FeaturesPresident Barack Obama and General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff (right) outline the US defence strategy at the Pentagon - without mentioning China Photograph: Greg E. Mathieson, Sr/Rex FeaturesSimon Tisdall2012-01-06T18:54:35ZAnti-capitalist? Too simple. Occupy can be the catalyst for a radical rethink | Ha-Joon Changhttps://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/nov/15/anti-capitalist-occupy-pigeonholing
Capitalism has many guises. Pigeonholing protesters will only allow those who are against reform to avoid the issue<p>The <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/uk/occupy-london" title="">Occupy London movement</a> is marking its first month this week. It is routinely described as anti-capitalist, but this label is highly misleading. As I found out when I gave a lecture at its <a href="http://tentcityuniversity.occupylsx.org/" title=" Welcome to Tent City University @OccupyLondon! ">Tent City University</a> last weekend, many of its participants are not against capitalism. They just want it better regulated so that it benefits the greatest possible majority.</p><p>But even accepting that the label accurately describes some participants in the movement, what does being anti-capitalist actually mean?</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/nov/15/anti-capitalist-occupy-pigeonholing">Continue reading...</a>Occupy LondonProtestOccupy movementLondonSingaporeEconomic policySwedenEconomicsJapanGermanyUS newsChinaGlobal economyBusinessUK newsTue, 15 Nov 2011 21:00:02 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/nov/15/anti-capitalist-occupy-pigeonholingPhotograph: Luis Enrique Ascui/ReutersIn Singapore 'a staggering 22% of national output is produced by state-owned enterprises'. Photograph: Luis Enrique Ascui/ReutersPhotograph: Luis Enrique Ascui/ReutersIn Singapore 'a staggering 22% of national output is produced by state-owned enterprises'. Photograph: Luis Enrique Ascui/ReutersHa-Joon Chang2011-11-15T21:00:02ZIllegal wildlife trade is far more terrifying than just snakes on a plane | Andrew Chambershttps://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/jul/28/illegal-wildlife-trade-snakes-plane-bangkok
The snakes found at Bangkok airport are part of a £6bn trade decimating ecosystems and endangering rare species<p>Last week, an Iranian man was <a href="http://www.bangkokpost.com/lite/topstories/247392/customs-prevent-snakes-on-a-plane-scenario" title="Bangkok Post: Customs prevent 'Snakes on a Plane' scenario">stopped by customs officials</a> trying to smuggle 50 live snakes on to a plane in Bangkok, hidden in rolled-up socks in his hand luggage. The "snakes on a plane" headlines have once again focused attention on Thailand as an international hub for the illegal trade in wildlife, a trade <a href="http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/02/11/seizure-highlights-widespread-illegal-wildlife-trading/" title="NY Times: Seizure Highlights Illegal Wildlife Trading">worth a staggering £6bn a year</a>.</p><p>The arrest is the latest in a number of high-profile detentions at the Thai airport. However, local environmental organisations have expressed frustration that police enforcement remains inadequate to tackle a trade that is decimating local ecosystems, hastening the extinction of scores of endangered animals and plundering the resources of developing countries for profits abroad.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/jul/28/illegal-wildlife-trade-snakes-plane-bangkok">Continue reading...</a>Endangered speciesWildlifeEnvironmentThailandWorld newsConservationAnimalsSingaporeAsia PacificThu, 28 Jul 2011 09:08:14 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/jul/28/illegal-wildlife-trade-snakes-plane-bangkokPhotograph: c.New Line/Everett / Rex FeaturesA scene from the 2006 film, Snakes on a Plane. Yet the reality is many species are threatened with extinction by this £6bn illegal trade. Photograph: c.New Line/Everett / Rex FeaturesPhotograph: c.New Line/Everett / Rex FeaturesA scene from the 2006 film, Snakes on a Plane. Yet the reality is many species are threatened with extinction by this £6bn illegal trade. Photograph: c.New Line/Everett / Rex FeaturesAndrew Chambers2011-07-28T09:08:14ZSingapore is not so clean, Mr Murdoch | Chee Soon Juanhttps://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/jul/26/rupert-murdoch-wrong-singapore
Crippling poverty and an overpaid government mean Singapore is not the beacon of social perfection that Rupert Murdoch claims<p>Letchmi (not her real name), a 40-year-old Singaporean woman, stood in the dock and pleaded guilty to pilfering $743 from the cash register where she worked as a cashier at a local supermarket. She told the judge in mitigation that she stole the money to pay for her medical expenses and that she had a 10-year-old daughter to fend for. She produced medical records to back up her plea. She had returned all the money that she had stolen. Unmoved, the prosecution pushed for a deterrent sentence. The judge imposed a fine of $2,000.</p><p>This is a scenario played out repeatedly all over Singapore. The unforgiving high cost of living in the city, coupled with low wages, has led many to commit crimes out of financial desperation. It is, of course, trite to argue that just because one is poor doesn't mean that one is entitled to commit criminal acts. There are many who face economic hardship but don't resort to crime.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/jul/26/rupert-murdoch-wrong-singapore">Continue reading...</a>SingaporeWorld newsRupert MurdochAsia PacificTue, 26 Jul 2011 07:00:01 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/jul/26/rupert-murdoch-wrong-singaporePhotograph: Luis Enrique Ascui/REUTERSA high cost of living coupled with low wages has driven many in Singapore to crime. Photograph: Luis Enrique Ascui/ReutersPhotograph: Luis Enrique Ascui/REUTERSA high cost of living coupled with low wages has driven many in Singapore to crime. Photograph: Luis Enrique Ascui/ReutersChee Soon Juan2011-07-26T07:00:01ZSingapore is taking the first steps to true democracy | Chee Soon Juanhttps://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/may/10/singapore-election-democracy-new-media
Our campaign proves people have had enough of one-party rule. With the help of new media, Singaporeans can shed their fear<p>Something extraordinary happened in Singapore in May 2011. It was not that the prime minister dissolved parliament and called for general elections. Neither was it that, for the first time since independence, a majority of Singaporeans got to vote.</p><p>Instead, a populace finally tired of living under an authoritarian system and of constantly being told how good their rulers were and that their rule was a right and not a privilege.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/may/10/singapore-election-democracy-new-media">Continue reading...</a>SingaporeInternetTechnologyWorld newsAsia PacificTue, 10 May 2011 10:41:11 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/may/10/singapore-election-democracy-new-mediaPhotograph: Stephen Morrison/EPASingapore's election was the most keenly contested since independence. Photograph: Stephen Morrison/EPAPhotograph: Stephen Morrison/EPASingapore's election was the most keenly contested since independence. Photograph: Stephen Morrison/EPAChee Soon Juan2011-05-10T10:41:11Z